Eye to Eye
by Microsuede Mouse
Summary: When Laney's friends start making fun of Eric, Victoria and especially Charlie, she's forced into facing her feelings and standing up for herself. Charlie overhears her defending him and wonders if it means her feelings for him match his for her. Charlaney, bg Erictoria and a healthy dose of Eric/Laney friendship. Bad summary.


Heyyyy ffnet. I bring you another pretty goofy fic, written mostly between midnight and three am several nights ago.

I have a lot of feelings about the Warthogs, but especially Charlie. I feel like he really gets discounted as the dumb/crazy one when that's not what he is at all, hence the following fic. Also, I just have such a huge soft spot for Charlie and Laney together like aww it seems so good to me

Notes:  
1) rather arbitrarily takes place in their grade eleven year; thus the characters are a bit more mature  
2) the show is filmed in Toronto so I took the liberty of assuming it's set in Canada  
3) when Laney mentions Charlie's robot, I'm referencing the second season episode Domo Arigato

Reviews are grand; don't hesitate to point out any mistakes I may have made. Enjoy (:

* * *

"Hey, Laney, you haven't been showing up to study with us lately. What's up with that?" Laney's friend Laurie leaned across Laney's desk and gave her a questioning look. On her right, Cassie and Emma nodded their agreement.

"I'm sorry," Laney confessed. "What's Up Warthogs takes up a lot of my free time during the day, so I can't go to the library as often any more."

Emma frowned. "But what about after school?" she asked. "We haven't seen you in, like, weeks. Months maybe."

Laney smiled nervously. "Well, you know, Eric likes us to spend a lot of time preparing. And Victoria too, she's kind of a perfectionist. There's been a lot of pressure from Principal Colonel Masters to improve the show, lately. You know how he can be…"

"Well, are you doing that today?" Laurie asked.

"Well, no…" Laney admitted.

"So come with us," Cassie prompted. "I mean, really, you can't let the dumb announcements show hurt your grades."

"My grades are fine," Laney said defensively. "And Mr. Denovi even gives us extra credit for working on the show."

"Okay, but seriously," Emma answered, a skeptical look on her face. "Come to the library this afternoon."

Laney bit her lip. "I can't." At the accusing looks of her friends, she clenched her eyes shut. "I told Charlie I'd hang out with him, all right? It's Eric and Victoria's six-month anniversary, so they'll be busy, and Charlie gets bored spending Fridays alone."

Laurie put a hand on her face. "Oh, my god. Seriously?"

"_Charlie_? Charlie McGuinness?" Cassie was laughing. "Really, Laney."

Laurie shook her head. "I mean, Eric and Victoria pressuring you to work on the show more is one thing. But hanging out? With _Charlie_?"

"What's wrong with Charlie?" Laney asked, searching her friends' eyes. She was upset. She knew that not everyone really 'got' Charlie, but she didn't realize any of her friends had a problem with him.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Uh, he's really stupid, for starters? I mean seriously, the guy can't even put together a sentence half the time. And he literally failed math last year."

"He was really sick on the day of the exam," Laney said in a small voice. "Besides, have you guys ever talked to him? He's a really nice guy."

"Riiiight," Laurie answered. "Laney, I've known him since I was eight. He's dumb as a post."

Laney looked away, trying not to let it show how upset she was. "Yeah, well. I promised, and he's my friend. So, I can't study with you tonight. Maybe next time."

"Whatever," Laurie said, glancing at the other girls before turning away. Emma and Cassie sighed in apparent exasperation. Luckily for Laney, the bell rang at just that moment. She pulled together her books and rushed out of the biology room.

x

Laney stood at her locker, staring into space, brows furrowed and lips pursed as her mind replayed the conversation from that morning. She couldn't believe that her friends from science had been so rude to her. It was the end of the school day now, and she didn't know what she was going to say to Charlie. She felt like she wouldn't be able to enjoy hanging out with him if all she could think about was Laurie and Emma calling him stupid.

"Laney? Earth to Laney. Do you copy?"

"Oh!" Laney snapped out of her reverie and turned around to look at Charlie. "Hey. Sorry."

He tipped his head to one side, smile fading. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she stammered.

"If you're not feeling well, I can just walk you home," he offered, looking concerned. "Heck, I'll even make you soup."

Laney softened, trying to smile at him. "I feel fine, Charlie. I'm just, you know. Distracted."

He smiled back. "Okay. What's distracting you?"

"I dunno," she answered with a non-committal shrug. She pulled on her backpack and shut her locker. "Just dumb stuff, I guess."

Charlie began to walk, Laney at his side. "Is this the kind of worrying you wanna talk about, or the kind you wanna forget about?"

She looked at him sideways, corners of her lips tugging upward. It was easy to forget how perceptive Charlie could be at times. "Definitely the kind I wanna forget about," she told him.

"Okay," he said with a grin. "Because the other day I was poking around in the basement and I found my dad's old movie projector and a bunch of weird old sci-fi horror movies. I thought they'd make for a fun evening."

"Isn't that the kind of thing you usually do with Eric?" she asked, chuckling.

He smiled at her, briefly touching her elbow. "What, I can't share cool stuff with my favourite girl instead?"

Laney bit back a huge grin. "Aw, Charlie," she said, trying to fight down the rush in her stomach. "You're too sweet." This was the kind of thing she'd been thinking of when she'd tried to defend him to her friends earlier. Charlie was the nicest, most genuine guy she'd ever known, and he made her feel special. How could anyone ever think poorly of him?

Now, though, she felt every thought of Laurie and the others slip away entirely as she listened to Charlie describe the cool setup he'd worked out for the movie projector. She had been worried, but he had a way of banishing her fears without even having to try.

x

Her afternoon spent with Charlie left Laney feeling cheerful all weekend, especially when she thought about the way he had grabbed her hand to pull her excitedly down into his basement, or the way he had let her rest on his shoulder while they were watching the movies he'd found. The films themselves had been laughably awful B-movies, mostly from the sixties and seventies, and had provided more than enough amusement for the evening. When they weren't laughing so hard their sides hurt, they were mowing through popcorn or the pizza Mrs. McGuinness had kindly ordered for them.

Laney's good mood didn't break until Monday morning, when she walked into biology only to be greeted frigidly by her friends. Looking worried, she sat down at her desk and tried to pay attention to the lesson.

Near the end of the period, Laurie turned around in her seat in front of Laney and smirked. "Enjoy your afternoon with Charlie?" she asked patronizingly.

Laney frowned. "Yeah, I did," she answered quietly, looking down at her desk.

"Seriously, how is that even possible?" Cassie asked from her spot on Laney's right. "He's such a moron."

Laney bit the inside of her cheek. "You're being really rude."

"Oh, my god," Emma groaned, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe this."

Laurie gave an annoying smile. "Maybe the stupid in the AV room is rubbing off on her," she suggested.

Laney tugged one of her braids self-consciously, willing herself not to get too upset. She had never imagined that her friends could get so nasty, especially so suddenly. The bell rang for the end of the period, and the three other girls got up and left together, tittering.

Over the next few weeks, the girls' frosty, condescending attitudes only got worse. They took to openly discussing the What's Up Warthogs gang right in front of Laney, constantly picking on the show and its members – especially Charlie. She grew more and more distracted in biology class, getting to the point where just walking into the room made her feel sick. Her classwork went undone and she stopped answering the teacher's questions.

She tried as hard as she could not to let her upset show, especially outside of the biology room, but it was hard to bottle it up inside. The longer the situation dragged out, the more desperate she became. Asking the three girls to stop only resulted in eye-rolling and sneering, but Laney didn't know what else to do.

x

Eric wandered into the AV room one afternoon only to be startled by the sight of Laney curled into a ball, crying, on one end of their sofa. She looked up at him and jumped, hurriedly trying to wipe her face. "Oh! Eric! U-um, shouldn't you be in class?"

"Ms. Andrews is sick, my class got cancelled," he said slowly, frowning and letting the door fall shut behind him. He went to sit close next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong, Brainy Laney? Do I need to break someone's face?"

She gave a strangled, forced sort of laugh. "N-nothing. It's nothing."

Eric's frown deepened. "It's not nothing, you're in tears. And you still can't tell a lie," he answered. She tried to look away, but he put his free hand on her chin and pulled her to face him. "Talk to me."

"Um." Laney pulled off her glasses and wiped her eyes again, looking down at her lap as Eric let go of her face. Her voice cracked when she spoke. "It's just… My friends in science, the ones I study with sometimes. They've been giving me a lot of grief lately about spending more time with you guys. They think you're an immature slacker, and Victoria's a tryhard. And Charlie, especially; they call him stupid and make fun of him. I dunno what to do, Eric." She let out a choking sob, and Eric cast his eyes around the room, searching for a box of tissues. He spotted one and jumped out of his seat to grab it, then came back and handed her one, wrapping his arm around her once again.

"Hey. Start by calming down," he said gently. "Take a few deep breaths, let it out."

Laney blew her nose and tried to get her breathing under control. "It's just, I'm a lot younger than anyone else in grade eleven, and it's always made it hard for me to make friends here. I really like those girls, because I have something in common with them; I can study and talk science with them. But I really like you guys, too. You're fun and you like me."

Eric smiled and squeezed her shoulders briefly. "Look, for starters, your being two years younger than the rest of us doesn't make any of us better than you. Actually, what it says is that you're one hell of a kid. I mean, damn, you're smarter than most of our grade."

Laney sniffled and ran a hand through her choppy brown bangs. Her hair was coming out of her braids, and she pulled at it awkwardly.

"And for another thing," Eric continued, "I hate to break it to you, little one, but if those girls can't see eye to eye with you, they might not be your friends. I mean…" He sighed. "They don't have to like us. But they should at least respect that you do."

Laney glanced up at him, eyes threatening to spill over with tears once again. He lifted a tissue to her face, and she took it from him, trying to dry her eyes. "People are really hard to figure out sometimes," she admitted. "How can they be so smart, but still incapable of seeing in you guys what I do?"

Eric shrugged. "A lot of my friends still laugh at me for dating Victoria. Some of them even stopped talking to me. Called me a hypocrite. I mean, a joker like me with a serious school politician like her? But Victoria and I like each other. We make each other happy. People don't have to be the same to get along. But if others are ignorant about that, whatever. It's their problem."

Still teary, Laney managed to giggle. "When did you grow up?"

He laughed. "I'm seventeen, I'm still working on it."

She sighed and looked down at her hands. "You're not immature, Eric, or a slacker. Just because you like to goof off and you don't care a lot about your grades… I mean, you're just funny. And creative. And when you're excited about something, you actually work really hard. I think one day you'll be really successful."

"Thanks," Eric said, smiling and giving her another squeeze. "That actually means a lot to me."

She gave an odd little half-smile. "And Victoria's not a tryhard. I mean… she does try hard, but that's because she really cares about stuff. Like the environment, and justice, and stuff. And she makes a difference, too. Maybe one day Laurie will discover, like, the ultimate sustainable energy source, but it's not just the big stuff that helps. Everyday stuff like recycling is important too, and that's what Victoria stands for." She paused, sighing again. "And Charlie… he's not stupid. Just because he isn't great at school, that doesn't make him stupid."

"He's never seen the world the same way the rest of us do," Eric agreed. "That's part of why he and I get along so well. When I get stuck, he always has a new point of view for me."

Laney nodded. "He's good at a lot of things. And he's just a really great guy. Even if Laurie and Cassie and Emma make fun of me, I love hanging out with him."

Eric softened, recognizing something in his younger friend's expression. "I'm not the one who needs to hear all this," he pointed out.

She looked up at him again, replacing her glasses. "What do I do?"

He grinned and held up a fist. "You buck up and stand up for yourself. Give those nerdy friends of yours one more chance to see it from your point of view. And if they can't, then whatever. Forget 'em. You've still got us."

Laney took a deep breath and set her shoulders. "You're right," she answered. She got to her feet, and Eric followed suit. "I'll go to the library after school and talk to them. Thank you, Eric." She leaned forward to hug him.

Smiling, Eric placed his chin on top of Laney's head and hugged her back. "No problem, Laney. You can just send me a text if you need me, I'll come back you up."

"I think I should do it myself," she said. Pulling away from him, she looked around the room. "We've got the rest of the period to kill, though, for now."

Eric took a step toward the table, where his notebook was opened to a page in the middle. "You're on a spare, right? Why don't you come over here and help me work out some ideas I have for tomorrow's show?"

x

That afternoon, Laney steeled her nerves as she strode into the school library. She could feel her phone in her pocket, and considered texting Eric for comfort, but she shook her head. She had to stand up for herself.

It didn't take her long to find Laurie and the others; they always sat at the same table. They looked up and smiled obnoxiously as she approached.

"Did you come to tell us you've finally realized how dumb the AV club members are?" Laurie asked. "If you admit it, we'll be happy to welcome you back."

"Actually," Laney answered, crossing her arms, "I came to tell you to stop calling them that."

"Why?" Laurie laughed. "It's the truth."

Cassie nodded, and Emma agreed, "She's right."

Laney took a deep breath and stood tall. "No, she's not. What she is is rude and narrow-minded."

Laurie lifted her eyebrows and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair.

Laney powered into the speech she'd mentally prepared for herself. "You guys are being nasty and terrible about my friends, and all that tells me is that they're actually a lot better than you are. You guys might be smart and good in school, but they actually care about me and my feelings."

"They're _losers_," Emma said. "They're going nowhere in life, and you have nothing in common with them."

"You're wrong," Laney answered, shaking her head. "They're going really far in life. You don't need to be brilliant at science or math to be successful. Eric is hilarious, and original, and he's going to make great TV or movies one day. His ideas entertain people and make them laugh. And he's _happiest_ when he can bring entertainment to others. So if he can do that, he'll be successful and he'll be happy.

"Victoria's amazing. She's determined, and caring, and driven, and clever, and compassionate, and she's going to change the world for the better. I'm pretty sure she's going to be the Prime Minister of Canada one day, and she'll make the whole country better for it. She cares about stuff and she works hard to make a difference, and that's really important.

"And Charlie…" Laney hesitated, biting her lip, and the girls laughed.

"There's nothing you can do to defend that idiot," Laurie said.

Laney narrowed her eyes, angry now. "Charlie's _not_ stupid. Just because he's not great at school doesn't mean he can't be smart. His skills are just a bit different. He looks at the world differently than you do, but that's exactly what makes him so good at what he does. He thinks of solutions no one else would. He's amazing with computers and cameras and technology in general. Without him, What's Up Warthogs would fall apart. Half the time we wouldn't even be able to air the show without his editing skills, but he always saves us.

"I've seen him build an actual, _working_ robot out of _his dad's old eight-track player_. He just did that on a whim, okay? That's amazing. And it's not just technology he's good at. He can make a miracle out of any disaster. He knows how to make people feel comfortable in their own skin. He can make you feel better no matter what's wrong, and half the time he doesn't even have to try. And I mean… he just makes me happy. He makes me laugh. And I think if someone makes me really happy no matter what, then they're a good person to have in my life, right? Because…" She bit her lip, trying to find the right words, and then remembered what Eric had said to her earlier.

"People don't have to _be the same_ to _get along_. They just have to like each other. And Eric and Victoria and Charlie like me, and I like them. And even if you guys are rude to them, they don't mind if I wanna be friends with you. Because they respect me. But _you_ don't want me to like _them_, so I guess you guys _don't_ respect me, so whatever. I guess I'm done with you." Laney's eyes brimmed with tears, but she stood her ground.

Cassie looked as though she felt maybe a bit guilty, and Emma just looked stunned. But Laurie gave an amazed, shocked sort of laugh, as if she didn't believe what was happening. "You've got to be kidding me," she scoffed.

"Not at all," Laney answered, gulping when she heard her voice begin to break.

Laurie was laughing now, looking incredulously at the other two. They laughed along, albeit a bit uncomfortably.

Laney spun on her heel and tried to storm out of the library, but it soon devolved into a hurried, broken walk as her shoulders shook and tears of frustration began to tumble down her cheeks. Someone rushed out of the stacks toward her, but she barely took notice of them until they jumped alongside her and gripped her shoulders.

"Laney!" he said softly, falling quickly into step beside her as they exited into the quiet school hallway. "Laney, hey, stop, come here."

She had pulled her glasses off to wipe desperately at her eyes, and through blurry, tear-filled vision she just barely registered plaid worn over a simple graphic tee before a familiar set of arms pulled her against a warm chest. "Shh, don't cry."

"Charlie?" she mumbled into his t-shirt. She knew it was him; if the flash of plaid hadn't given it away, his strong arms and familiar scent had.

"Shh," he murmured, one large hand clamped around her shoulder and the other gently rubbing her back. She snuffled against his shirt, and he gave her a quick squeeze. "Hey. Hey, let's get out of here. Do you wanna come to my house again?"

Laney swallowed hard, then nodded slightly against his chest. "Okay."

x

Victoria listened patiently as Eric, seated beside her on the couch, summarized what he and Laney had talked about earlier that afternoon. "God," she said when he was done. "I would never have guessed that Laurie and them could be so awful. They always seemed pretty pleasant to me."

"I know, right?" Eric answered, placing a hand on her knee. "I was surprised. But Laney decided she was gonna make a stand, so."

"I think you gave her the right advice," she assured him, leaning over to kiss him quickly. "Do you think she's okay?"

Eric shrugged. "I think she will be in the long run. But I told Charlie to go down to the library today and watch for her. I figure she might need a little moral support."

"Why send Charlie?" Victoria asked, frowning. "Why not go yourself? You already knew the situation."

"Because," he answered, smiling and squeezing his girlfriend's knee. "Laney _likes_ Charlie. And it was him she was most upset about them putting down. His comfort will be better for her than either of ours would be."

"And does Charlie like Laney?" she asked him.

He smiled again. "He's never said so, but he's my best friend. I know him, I know how he thinks. Sometimes, if something just seems like fact to him, he never points it out because he figures that people who should know, already do. He cares about Laney a lot."

Victoria smiled softly, reaching over to touch her boyfriend's face. "When'd you get so wise?" she teased.

"Beats me," Eric laughed.

She chuckled. "You're a good friend, Eric. I think you handled this right."

His smile grew as he leaned toward her, one hand drifting to her waist as their lips met.

x

It was four o'clock by then, and the West Hill halls were almost empty as Charlie accompanied Laney to her locker and then out of the school. He insisted on keeping a comforting arm around her shoulders as they made their way slowly towards his house. He knew she didn't want to cry while she was out in the open, so he tried to distract her by pointing out bird's nests and squirrels and interesting clouds he spotted along the walk, cracking jokes in between. Eventually they reached his house, and he unlocked the door and led her inside.

Neither of his parents were home yet, so he poured a couple glasses of milk, grabbed some cookies from the cupboard, and took Laney up to his bedroom. He had a futon sofa against one wall, where he invited her to sit down and have a snack. Once they had eaten, he put their empty glasses aside on his desk and shifted around on the couch to face her.

"I think I heard most of what happened in the library," he confessed, dipping his head so he could look up into her downcast eyes.

"What were you doing there, anyway?" Laney asked in a small voice.

Charlie shrugged a bit. "Honestly, Eric told me I should go down there after school," he said. "He was unexpectedly busy, so he asked me just to go have a quick look for you, instead. Now I guess I know why."

Laney nodded and bit her lip, looking up into his face. He straightened a bit and gave her an encouraging smile. "I'm sorry you heard that."

Charlie shook his head. "Why didn't you ever tell me what was going on?" he asked.

"I didn't want you to worry, I guess," she said. "And- and I didn't want you to know they'd said such mean things about you."

"I don't really care what they think of me. I barely know them. I like me and my friends like me, so I'm fine," he told her. "I'm more bothered by the fact that they upset you so much. I want you to be happy."

"Yeah, well." Laney sniffled and wiped at her eyes, trying not to let herself start crying again. "I guess they weren't very good friends, so maybe I'll be happier without them." Her voice wobbled against her will, and her glasses slid down her nose.

Charlie reached up and thumbed a stray tear away from the edge of her eye. "Still, no one deserves that, especially not you."

She started to smile, then gritted her teeth as she began crying for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Dammit," she muttered, frustrated. "Why is this so hard, Charlie?"

"Oh no, no no no, don't cry," he begged her. They were facing each other on the futon, both with their legs crossed, but all the same he reached out and pulled her into an awkward embrace. Their knees bumped together uncomfortably, but Laney buried her face in his shoulder and gripped at his sleeves. "Shh, shh," he tried to comfort her. "Aw, Laney, you don't deserve this."

She tugged away from him, wiping angrily at her face. "No, I don't!" she agreed. "I don't deserve to be shamed for my choice in friends; I don't deserve to listen to all that crap about you! And you don't deserve to be called stupid like that!"

"Hey! Hey hey hey!" he responded quickly, once again dropping his head low to smile up at her. He grabbed her upper arms and pushed her upward by pressing his forehead against her own. "I heard the way you defended me to them, huh? You didn't have to do that," he said, giving her his best smile. "I didn't know you thought so highly of me."

Laney was clutching at his sleeves again, almost desperately. "I did, I did have to," she insisted, choking back a sob. "Charlie, I think you're just the best, the best person in the whole world. And I- I couldn't stand listening to them talk about you the way they did, like you were just some idiot not worth anyone's time. I couldn't," she repeated, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Aw, Laney, Laney," he said softly, pushing gently against her with his head. "I think you're the best, too, don't you know that?"

"I don't-" she stammered, then swallowed hard and started again. "I don't think you-"

"I do, I do!" he interrupted her, smiling. His hands moved up from her shoulders to hold her head between them. "Laney I do, I love you, I've loved you for ages. Don't you know?"

She opened her eyes again, staring at him. "What?" she gasped.

Charlie laughed slightly. "I love you, I love you," he repeated, looking into her surprised eyes. "I just never thought I was right for you. All I want is for you to be happy, Laney, I'll be happy as long as you are."

Her grip on his sleeves tightened. "Charlie, why would you think that?" she asked. She was crying again, or still, but now less from anger and hurt, more from amazement and happiness.

He shrugged, smile broadening. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe because you're clever and beautiful and smart and talented and amazing and I thought you deserved someone who was all those things too, I don't know. I never knew you thought I was smart and funny and nice, I never knew I made you so happy."

Laney made a strange sound, then, a sort of mix between laughter and a relieved sob. "Charlie, how could you not know I liked you?"

"No, I knew you liked me, I never thought you didn't like me," he laughed. "I just didn't know you liked me that much. I just assumed that you would want someone who matched you better, who was smart and everything like you. I don't know if I'm smart, I didn't know you thought I was smart. I thought that as long as I could help you be happy that would be enough for me."

"I think you're amazing, Charlie, I really do," she told him. He shut his eyes, positively beaming, and she began to giggle. "You're giddy. I've never seen you like this."

"I love you, I love you," he said again. Still holding her head firmly between his big, warm hands, he kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her mouth. The butterflies in her stomach soared as he lingered there, breaking away only to laugh gleefully. He kissed her again, and again, and her hands left his shoulders and found his neck, and she smiled against him as he kissed her more deeply.

He pulled back quickly to look at her again. "Are you gonna be okay about earlier?" he asked.

She was smiling. "Forget them," she answered. He grinned a bit and leaned back into her.

"I love you!" Charlie announced again as he finally pulled away, smiling ear to ear.

Her face still wet with tears, Laney laughed. "I love you too, Charlie. I love you too, I love you too, I love you too," she said, trying to catch up with him.

He bit his tongue as if to keep his face from breaking apart as his smile grew even wider. He stared into her eyes for a moment, letting her glasses bump against his face, before jumping to his feet.

"I need to tell Eric," he laughed, casting about as if he didn't know what to do with himself. "I need to tell Victoria. I need to tell my parents. I need to tell everyone. I'm in love with Laney Nielsen and Laney Nielsen loves me back!"

She leapt up after him, laughing, and threw her arms around his neck. He was a lot taller than her, but he scooped his arms around her back and spun her around, lifting her up so they were nose-to-nose.

"Let them wait," Laney said. "I'm in love with Charlie McGuinness, and I want him to kiss me again!"

Charlie giggled, still giddy. "I will kiss you every day for the rest of my life," he promised, tightening his strong arms around her middle and kissing her soundly. They smiled into each other for a moment before he allowed himself to tumble backwards onto his bed, taking her with him as he happily deepened the kiss.


End file.
